With Proper Motivation
by Fayah
Summary: Mr. Freeze realizes that there's a much easier way to find the cure to his wife's terminal illness: inject Robin with the same disease and let Batman do the work for him. After all, the dark knight can supposedly do anything with the proper motivation.
1. Chapter 1

**| GOTHAM CITY**

| June 28th, 6:32 P.M.

Nora will never be anything less than beautiful to his eyes. Now, more than ever, her beauty reminds him of how frail she really is. Her face is deathly pale from years of living in her frosty chamber and her thin disease-ravaged body looks as if it could easily break with just a touch. Thick sheets of ice enfold her in their embrace, cradling her, keeping her safe yet so far away from his touch.

And it isn't right.

He remembers when Nora's pale cheeks were once a lovely shade of rose. When her bone-thin body had once sported lovely curves that he traced religiously with his fingers. He remembers her warm hands enclosing around his own, now unfeeling, ones. And he remembers her lips, her arms, her embrace, all filled with a love that he will never feel again.

And it isn't fair.

She's so close, just tauntingly out of reach, but he can only watch, palms pressed to cold glass. With the chamber at the center of his lab, the one lab he makes absolutely certain even Batman cannot track, Nora serves as a constant reminder of his purpose, his goal.

He's not a petty criminal. Once upon a time, they used to call him a prodigy, a man of promise with a revolutionary view on cryogenics. Before he had sold his soul and adopted his alias of Mr. Freeze, he was once Victor Fries. And above all, he's a scientist. He learns from his failed experiments.

He knows a lost cause when he sees it. With Batman keeping a close eye on his actions, it will take decades - perhaps longer - to obtain enough money to complete his research on Nora's disease, and he'll never finish it alone. His reputation, his _appearance_, has already alienated him from the scientific community.

But now, he has a better plan. Victor Fries smiles, and he can feel his facial muscles slowly stretch, straining at the unfamiliar action. His hand leisurely strokes a black case that held his newest weapon, compliments of Lex Luthor.

Victor doesn't even mind owing that man – and his organization, the Light was it? – a favor. All the better that their schemes would draw Batman's attention away from his own agenda. Whatever the outcome, he would be the true winner. He had to be, for Nora's sake.

* * *

><p>| <strong>GOTHAM CITY<strong>

| July 4th, 12:00 PM

Another family goes down, frozen under a thick sheet of ice, and he wonders how long it will take the dynamic duo to come. He has planned this meticulously for weeks, making sure to pick the date of the attack on a weekend – the boy wonder was, after all, just a school boy – and at a location the dynamic duo often monitored.

Finally, a batarang bounces off his gun, causing him to stagger slightly. "Batman," he says with only the slightest hint of satisfaction in his voice, "I was wondering when…"

A boyish cackle breaks out, and Victor forces himself to not get into the habit of smiling.

It was show time.

The boy wonder jumps onto his domed helmet, throwing him off balance before smaller red batarangs impale themselves into the glass in front of his face. "Oh, boy wonder," he states in the most unimpressed voice he could manage, "the Bat sent you here to drag me off to prison? Frankly, I'm _underwhelmed_."

"Great, but I'm kinda in a hurry here," Robin replies with a cocky grin. Victor muses at how carefree, energetic, and sickeningly _bright _the boy looks – just as Nora once was. Gothamites call him the light to Batman's darkness, his canary yellows and bold reds bringing color to Batman's dull greys and blacks. But if he couldn't have his light, why should Batman be allowed his?

While the boy seemed preoccupied, Victor quickly switches the setting on his weapon and fires.

The boy's eyes widen a fraction and he moves to dodge, but the black dart still manages to hit true to its target and lodges itself in his arm. "Ugh," Robin groans. He reaches to remove the dart, noticing the ice that quickly begins to crawl up his arm from the location of the wound.

Victor smirks, silently celebrating his success. And it's just in time before Batman descends upon him with a vicious kick that sends him sprawling into the ground and feigning unconsciousness. No need for a fight. He has already done his part for the Light's scheme.

"Robin," he hears Batman call out. The Bat is as perfect as ever in maintaining a flat tone of voice even in the face of his injured partner.

"It's fine Bats," Robin replies, offering the removed dart to his mentor. "I just need to get my shoulder thawed."

Batman takes the dart from Robin's hand and stares at it with narrowed eyes. The weapon is atypical of the ice villain who normally does not go farther than using his primary freeze gun, and he assumes from the complicated multi-part design that it must have cost a fortune to make - a fortune that Victor Fries has no means of obtaining by himself. "We'll need to get this analyzed."

"But not now Batman, todays _the_ day! It's going to take long enough getting de-thawed! And you _promised_!"

Robin holds his ground firmly, doing his best to mimic Bruce's glare. Gotham has trapped him like a hellish birdcage for the last two weeks with the recent jail breakout and he absolutely would not let Roy and Wally hold his absence to the meeting over his head. A tense stare-off between the two heroes lasts for only seconds until Batman relents and turns away.

"Agent A will start the analysis on Freeze's new weapon."

"Yes!" A delighted cackle echoes through Gotham park once again. The defeated villain imagines that the boy is dashing off with a bounce to his step despite the injury. Just as planned.

'_Fly little Robin,_" Victor muses to himself, '_fly while you still can._'

* * *

><p>| <strong>GOTHAM CITY<strong>  
>| July 5th, 1:30 AM<p>

"We'll need a blood sample," Batman states, not even looking away from the monitor he is typing on.

Robin groans, raising his free arm in exasperation. "I just had a _building _fall on me today Bats, can't you give me a break?"

"Master _Richard_," Alfred speaks in a half scolding tone of voice as he wraps his patient's shoulder wound a bit tighter than necessary. Dick winces. Apparently, Alfred still has not forgiven him for '_recklessly endangering your life once again_' at Cadmus. "Analysis of the dart has shown an injection mechanism timed to the release of a spray of freezing agent at impact. It is quite possible that he has injected you with something."

A sigh escapes the injured boy, followed by a confused frown. "But…that's just not his game. He's _Mr. Freeze_," a name that could not be any less creative, Robin thinks to himself, "not Scarecrow. He just _freezes _things, as lame as that is."

"_Robin_."

Both Alfred and Batman are giving him identical looks of disapproval. He knows that he has lost, and he isn't feeling the aster at all. "_Fine_."

* * *

><p>| <strong>MOUNT JUSTICE<strong>  
>| July 8th, 8:17 AM<p>

In three days, they have gone from a rag-tag group of sidekicks into an actual covert team. It's almost unbelievable, and they half expect something to crash their makeshift team any second. So when Batman calls, breaking up their meet-and-greet with M'gann, they expect the worst.

"Robin, a word." Batman's voice is low, but as commanding in presence as ever. The younger heros look to him curiously, waiting for an explanation for whisking away a teammate so soon, but Batman offers none and instead starts walking towards the Zeta beam.

The team looks back at Robin, only to find him missing from his former location. A giggle catches their attention once more - the boy has already slid right next to Batman's side as if he had always been there. He turns his head backwards and gives a casual wave to his friends, "Sorry, duty calls! Nice meeting you Miss M, seeya guys!"

"Recognized, Batman, 02. Recognized, Robin, B01."

No questions are asked, and none are explained. M'gann tilts her head at the empty zeta tube.

"I wonder what's wrong…"

Superboy and Kaldur, both also unfamiliar with relationship between the dynamic duo, share equally puzzled looks. Wally just drapes an arm casually around Megan's shoulder, unfazed by it all. "Don't sweat it babe, it's just bat stuff. They always do that."

* * *

><p>| <strong>GOTHAM CITY<strong>  
>| July 8th, 8:27 AM<p>

"So what's up B?"

"Your bloodtests are back."

"Great, all clear?"

Batman grunts in affirmation. He's halfway finished with removing his cowl, and has already changed back to his regular business suit in record time. Bruce Wayne has a meeting to catch, so Batman acts as swiftly and efficiently as ever. "You only have a slight immune response, but you'll be staying under observation to make sure your wounds don't get infected."

Robin groans, yet follows his mentor's cue anyways and takes off his sunglasses. "But it's a _Saturday_! Can't I at least patrol tonight?"

"No."

Before Dick could even start to open his mouth in protest, Bruce throws him a black flashdrive that he reflexively catches. The younger boy cocks an eyebrow. "What's this?"

"Information. Yesterday, four ice villains attacked on the same day, hours apart from each other. "

In seconds, the flashdrive is already hooked up to his wrist computer. Information flashes quickly before his screen and he scans through it with a sharp eye. "Dr. Freeze, Captain Cold, Icicle Junior, and Killer Frost. All are repeat offenders, but they've never even met each other. What's the connection?"

"You find it."

Robin grins, seating himself in the Bat-computer. It wasn't every day that Bruce handed him a case - especially an important one like this. It almost makes up for being benched from patrol. Just barely.

"Challenge accepted."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** This is another fill for the YJ-anon-meme that I'm editing and putting up here. This will hopefully be updated every other weekend. Also, _**THERE ARE NO PAIRINGS**_. Everyone asks about that, so just getting it out of the way. There will however be a ton of friendship and family hurt/comfort.

And for those of you who don't know, Dr. Freeze / Victor Fries basically has a wife that he froze because she had a terminal illness and modern medicine at the time couldn't treat her. He resorted to crime to steal research funding and eventually because he wants to make everyone else suffer like he is since he truly adores his wife.

Any feedback/review is always awesome and will probably motivate me to not be the horribly lazy person that I am.


	2. Chapter 2

| **STAR CITY**  
>| July 17, 11:26 PM<p>

The adrenaline from the battle is still running as high as their hopes, and all three teens look to Roy expectantly. Their team's been together for almost two weeks, but there's just one person missing. Robin is the one to finally pop the question.

"So, Speedy, you in?"

"Pass." Roy's eyes narrow, and his voice is angry, _harsh_. After the battle with Brick, he's more confident than ever in his choice to step away from his former identity. "I'm done with Arrow and the League telling me what to do. I don't need babysitter or a clubhouse hangout with the other kids. Your junior Justice League is a _joke_, something to keep you busy, and. In. Your. Place. I don't want any part of it."

Robin frowns as his oldest friend walks away without even looking back. His mind recalls to the data files Batman has given him access to; they had been a dead end, despite the hours of work he had poured into tracking the villains' movements prior to Independence Day. Batman hasn't mentioned it since, and that has only increased Robin's suspicions. Did Batman give him a literally cold case? Left out information? Let him dig in, but not dig too deep?

He wants to pursue Speedy, to get his opinion on the matter, because if anyone knows anything about suffocating billionaire guardians and their tactics to distract their wards, it's Roy. But just as Robin reaches out, a wave of dizziness hits him and he has to support himself against a wall to keep himself from falling over. Suddenly, he's not feeling the aster anymore.

Wally, even in the dark, notices immediately. "Rob? You alright man?"

Robin feels a worried hand on his shoulder and that seems to be enough to whisk away his temporary disorientation. He recomposes himself and stands just a bit straighter, because there's no need to get his best friend worried over nothing. "Yeah, just a little dizzy. Must be the lack of sleep."

"Batman's working you hard on patrol?"

"Yeah." Except not really, but Robin doesn't want to tell Wally that he's actually been working on his own covert case the last few weeks. It's _his _case, and he wants to settle it alone. Even if Batman thinks he's given up on it and has regulated it to a lower priority level.

"Well, my friend, I know _just _what you need," Wally begins in a grand voice and a devious smirk on his face. The speedster pulls Robin away from the crime scene, arm wrapped casually around the younger boy's neck. "I heard Star City just opened a new ice cream shop, 92 flavors!"

The boy wonder chuckles, because he doesn't need to be psychic to know how this would play out. "I'm paying, aren't I?"

* * *

><p>|<strong> GOTHAM CITY<strong>  
>| AUGUST 3, 9:51 PM<p>

Robin works slowly, but intently, on making sure Amazo is definitely turned off. He does his best to swallow down that nausea that has been striking him a bit too frequently, and wills his body not to sway in front of his teammates. At the first sign of illness, he knows Batman will bench him, and he can't allow that. The team needs him. _Bruce_ needs him.

And perhaps he has had a bit too many late nights, because he doesn't even notice when Superboy turns to him and says, "I'm feeling the aster."

There's something like a heavy thick cotton dulling his senses. It's getting harder to even concentrate on the wire that has somehow stubbornly duplicated itself in his spinning vision. Superboy frowns, but luckily the team interprets his distraction as deep concentration and they soon leave him to do his work. Wally, however, stays.

"Dude, are you sure you're alright?"

Robin hears this time and looks up. He immediately regrets it, because the nausea hits him harder than ever. Biting back a groan, Robin looks back down and hopes his best friend doesn't notice his trembling hand. "Y-yeah."

He's really off his game, because the tremble in his voice is horribly obvious and it only made the speedster more concerned.

"Oh really?" Wally challenges, "Then how come you missed when you threw those batarangs at Amazo? You _never _miss."

"Just an off day, we all have them." Robin is getting irritated now, because he _knows _his performance tonight was shoddy. Shoddy enough that his best friend may have gotten hurt if not for the interference of the mysterious arrow. He needs to get over this sickness, he needs to be better, stronger, _faster_ if he wants to protect everyone, if he doesn't want to feel the pain of losing someone all over again. It only takes one fall, after all.

"Rob-"

"Look," Robin snaps, pulling at the wire to the point that it snaps and electricity hisses under his palms, "I'm just human, when I get the stomach bug, it lasts for _days_, not just hours like for you."

Wally frowns and approaches his friend like he would a cornered animal. He notices that Robin is more out of breath than normal and even a bit paler, but it's hard to tell in the dark. He doesn't need to see through the domino mask to know that his friend is frustrated, and Wally realizes a bit too late that maybe it isn't the best time to blurt out, "then why were you doing missions if you're sick?"

"_Because_, if Batman finds out, he'll bench me for a _month_." Robin is about to pull another wire, but thinks about it for a second, and releases it instead. His voice becomes softer. "Wally, I just…I can't be benched for that long."

Robin is as much his identity as Dick Grayson is. The thrill, the strength, the _satisfaction _he feels as Robin is what helps Dick Grayson fall asleep without dreams of snapped wires and falling bodies. And on nights that he's absent, Bruce comes home just a bit more rugged, a bit more torn from braving the dangers of Gotham alone. Dick refuses to stay at home only to wait for Bruce to come back, and he refuses to wait uselessly for the day that Bruce doesn't come back.

"He'd bench you for that long?" Wally asks, slightly surprised. He realizes that he's never seen Robin sick. Ever. The younger boy always appeared so carefree, so invincible, that they've never really talked about it until now. "I'm sure it's not that-"

"He's done it before, although he tried to do it _permanently_ that time."

Of course, there is a vast difference between getting beaten half to death by one of Batman's rogues and getting a stomach flu, but he desperately needs Wally to not tell the team. This is nothing worth depriving Batman of a partner and the team of their resident hacker for a month.

"Fine," the speedster finally says after a tense silence. Robin lets out a small sigh, and Wally crouches down next to him with a playful grin.

"So, need a hand? I've always wanted to try to disassemble a super robot."

* * *

><p>| <strong>GOTHAM CITY<strong>  
>| August 21, 1:05 PM<p>

"Mr. Grayson."

"Mr. _Grayson._"

Dick flinches upwards, spine straight, with eyes still half-lidded with drowsiness. They eventually focus in on the slightly annoyed face of his math teacher. "I…uh…hi Mr. Henderson."

"Mr. Grayson, I'm glad you have decided to grace this class with your attention," the teacher begins, contempt evident in his voice. He has never liked Dick's stellar test scores despite his long-standing record of having the shoddiest class attendance.

"Sorry," Dick apologizes honestly with a slight blush. It's rare that he ever sleeps in class, because he doesn't want to bother Bruce with school issues on top of the other cases the dynamic duo tackle. He's slipping up more and more, and it's beyond embarrassing that even his civilian teacher notices.

But the teacher relents, as expected. He's Dick Grayson, and that gives him an almost automatic pardon on all issues that fall short of assault. When the teacher turns his back, Barbara leans towards him with a judging eye.

"Dick, are you still sick with that stomach flu?"

"Nah, just a late night Babs."

Even though he has temporarily shelved the ice villain case, he's still only getting six hours between pulling off the Dynamic Duo combo with Batman and helping out the team on their missions. It used to be enough, but his body is getting too tired too quickly these days, and he doesn't know what's wrong. Maybe he's doing too much, maybe it's one of those growing phases that Alfred mentions from time to time.

Whatever it is, he just hopes it'll pass, like the nausea that is now once again on remission.

"You know," Barbara is leaning very close to him now, uncomfortably close, "your eyes are getting a bit yellow."

She's frowning, and Dick automatically knows what she's thinking; yellow sclarea, jaundice. But it can't be true, because the stomach flu is gone and despite his fatigue, he is better now than he was a week ago when he was begging Bruce to let him patrol individually so that Bruce wouldn't catch his sudden fits of dizziness.

He backs away. "You're imagining things, it's just the lighting."

Barbara is about to protest when Mr. Henderson lets out a loud cough. They look to see that he's staring at them, and both smile sheepishly. Dick avoids talking to Barbara for the rest of the day, a feat that he pulls off easily considering they only have two classes together.

When he returns home, he locks his door and leans close to his mirror, examining his own eyes. He sees light yellow and frowns. The next day, he asks Alfred if they can replace his bathroom light and dismisses the detail once again.

* * *

><p>| <strong>MOUNT JUSTICE <strong>  
>| August 27, 6:17 PM<p>

It isn't even a week later when the illness strikes again, much to Dick's dismay. The mission against Clayface has been an absolute disaster, heavy on the dis.

"I need to talk to Aqualad. The rest of you hit the showers and head home."

To Batman's surprise, his ward doesn't even linger and immediately takes the opportunity to disappear around a corner just as Superboy spits out a sarcastic comment. He files the odd behavior in the back of his mind for later. For now, the Atlantean has his attention.

* * *

><p>| <strong>GOTHAM CITY<strong>

| August 27, 6:27 PM

Robin is extremely thankful that he has managed to crawl into his shower at Wayne Manor before he hurls the contents of his lunch out into the drain below as the water washes it away along with the mud on his body. His hands are trembling again and the disorientation comes back in waves, but he knows that it'll disappear again if he waits long enough. He didn't expect it to be back so soon (or ever). It had been gone for a whole week, but it returned with a vengeance when Clayface appeared.

He counts his breathing, and tries to focus on the tiny etchings on the tiles that line the shower wall instead of the impressive display of acrobatics that his stomach seems to be doing. Eventually, he feels well enough to stumble out of the shower. Dick is glad that his room is the one place Bruce and Alfred do not monitor, because it would be beyond mortifying to let his guardians see his sorry state.

It's frustrating - how weak his body feels, how he's holding his team back to the point that they are now failing missions, how he can't even find the energy to work off these frustrations in a gym. Instead, he throws on some pajamas and crawls into bed. He doesn't want to face Bruce, and he definitely doesn't want to face the possibility that he may actually be seriously sick. It's been over a month, and he knows he's not at peak performance. Something's off.

But he doesn't want to think about it now. All he wants to do is sleep. So he does.

* * *

><p>| <strong>GOTHAM CITY<strong>  
>| August 27, 8:04 PM<p>

Bruce is further baffled when he fails to find Dick at the gym as he had expected. He searches the batcave and finds it empty as well. He tries the entertainment room, the outside courts, and even the kitchen with the same results. Finally, Alfred calmly informs him in a slightly irritated voice that Master Richard is in his room and had fallen asleep through his dinner call.

He slides into the dark room, quiet enough not to wake Dick who is as light as a sleeper as he is. The boy's pillow is damp, and his blankets lay half-hazardously scattered all around his bed. Slowly, he re-arranges the blankets to cover Dick's entire frame and frowns when he notices that the boy has gotten thinner. Alfred has good reason to be displeased with Dick for missing dinner, but the boy looks so tired that even the dark knight doesn't have the heart to wake him.

Replacing the damp pillow with a new, dry one finally wakes up the sleepy boy wonder despite Bruce's efforts to be discreet. "Bruce?" Dick murmurs, eyes still closed. "Is it time for patrol?"

Bruce puts the new pillow in place and then places a comforting hand on his ward's shoulder. "No, go back to sleep Dick," he lies.

Dick settles into the new pillow, seemingly content. Then, he shifts his face closer into the pillow before he softly mutters, "Sorry...about the mission."

"The team was disorganized when going in. Aqualad's inability to pay adequate caution to the situation was hardly your fault."

The words seem to pass over the now sleeping boy though, and Bruce quietly leaves the room. Afterwards, he makes a note to Alfred to buy the absurdly sugary brand of cereal Dick likes for breakfast. The boy needs to gain some weight, and a treat wouldn't hurt once in a while.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Sorry that it's still progressing a bit slowly and with little action - these things take a little time to kick in. There will be much more significant things happening next chapter with a bit of a more obvious break-off from canon. I actually planned to update this next week but I was blown away by all the responses I received, so I decided to edit and put this up early since I do have quite a bit of this fic already written out.

Thanks for all your support! And as always, any feedback whatsoever is appreciated, even gibberish. I'm totally fluent in gibberish (not really, but if you want to try, COME AT ME BRO)


	3. Chapter 3

| **BIALYA**  
>| September 4th, 6:04 AM<p>

He wakes up to the feel of rough sand and the steady beat of sunlight against his back. His body feels like a block of lead and his head doesn't feel any better. Robin wonders if anyone caught the license plate of the car that appears to have ran him over...repeatedly. Then dumped his body in a desert apparently.

The faint sound of rolling wheels treading through sand goes unnoticed until it's too late. The soft mutterings of their engines transform into roars as they approach. They've spotted him. Finally, the adrenaline kicks in and Robin moves to turn on the radio piece in his ear, but-

_"Maintain radio silence at all times."_

Right. That isn't an option, because he always remembers Batman's orders before all else. If only the rest of his memories stuck that well. He switches to plan B.

Robin lets whoever is approaching come close. The opaque mask allows him to feign unconsciousness until they begin to grab his arm. When they do, he lashes out, knocking both away with a simultaneous kick and punch followed by a flip to gain distance. His body is practically screaming in protest, but Robin ignores it in favor of noting the Bialyan military uniforms the men are wearing. Then it all comes together: the terrain, the weather, and the radio silence - standard procedure in enemy territory.

'_What am I doing in **Bialya**?_'

More men emerge from a nearby truck, and they're already on their radio, requesting back-up. Robin groans - this is not going to be fun. He tries to disappear out of sight behind another rock, but his knees quickly give out on him and he falls to his ground.

Coughs begin to assault his lungs, and he tries his best to silence them all while suppressing his own panic. He has no clue what's happening, why he's being attacked, why he's in a _Bialya_, and most importantly, why his body is breaking down on him.

He looks down at his hands only to see blood, and that scares him more than ever. Dick wants to call Bruce - radio silence be damned - but Robin reminds himself that he needs to follow orders.

A rocket goes off, and he only manages to widen his eyes before he's blasted back into the sand and into unconsciousness.

* * *

><p>| <strong>BIALYA<strong>  
>| September 4th, 3:04 PM<p>

"So, let me get this straight. We're supposed to be some teenage version of the Justice League who are on some kind of stealth mission, we somehow ended up with memory loss, and now we're missing two members?"

"Well...yes."

Kid Flash and Artemis look more and more skeptical the longer Miss Martian leads them along a long trek through the desert with no end in sight. The Martian seems genuine, but the heat and exhaustion are getting to them, grating away at their patience.

"And you're saying Robin's on this team too?"

"Yes."

"Then where's the boy wonder?" Artemis finally snaps, and finally stops walking. "We've been following you for an _hour_ and I see no sight of _anyone_. How do we know you aren't lying?"

"I...I actually don't know where he is," M'gann admits, "I was just hoping I could pick up on his thoughts or he could pick up on mine, that's how I found you two...and Superboy."

This response doesn't satisfy the archerer who narrows her eyes. "Your _Superboy_ tried to _attack _us! How is he our teammate anyways?"

"I don't remember," the Martian answers honestly, "but I know how we can find out. If you guys open your mind to me, we can put together our memory fragments into a whole."

The two look at her with even more skepticism than ever. "You want to mess with our _minds_? No way!"

Artemis has already turned around, about to leave, when Wally runs infront of her to intercept. "Whoa, hold up. Do we _really _want to continue wandering around a desert with no clue what's going on? This is our only chance. And she knew our names, so she can't be that bad."

"Assassins also know the name of their targets," Artemis mutters, but she rethinks the situation. After a moment, the archer finally turns around. "Fine, do it. But last six months only, and only what you need."

Wally grabs her hand and smiles. It only takes seconds for scenes to flash before their eyes, six months worth of memories compressed into six seconds: Cadmus, Mount Justice, the team, their missions, _Bialya_.

The three gasp all at once. Artemis is the first to speak and she lets go of Wally's hand as if it was poisonous.

"Great, now we're missing _three_ team members."

* * *

><p>| <strong>QURAC<strong>  
>| September 5, 1:32 AM<p>

"Hey everyone, I've got Superboy, and I'm on my way."

"Who are you? And how did you get inside my head?"

"_Hello, _Megan! Aqualad's memories! I knew I forgot something!"

"_Hello _guys, we're still missing a member!" Wally practically shouts into the link. He completely fails to hide his worry. Yeah, sometimes he teasingly calls Robin the boy hostage, but it's obvious the boy is the least likely of them all to get captured with his absurd knack for disappearing in thin air. If anyone would have put two and two together about this situation by now, it would be his best friend.

His still _missing _best friend.

His still missing best friend who has been avoiding him for weeks, and Wally is pretty sure he knows why. It doesn't bode well for any of them.

"It's the boy wonder," Artemis reasons, "who knows, maybe he's already back at Mount Justice waiting for us."

With their memories back, the two return to their normal pattern of arguing as Wally stops in front of Artemis, eyes flared with worry and arms raised in exasperation. "Except he doesn't even know we're a team yet!"

"Maybe he's at Gotham then," Artemis retorts, but with much less conviction as she backs away and diverts her eyes.

"Look," Wally enunciates, "haven't you guys noticed that Rob's been a bit...off? Last month, he had the stomach flu and he's been avoiding me since!"

"He looked fine to me last week," Megan chimes in from the link, confusion in her voice.

"Of course," the speedster replies a bit bitterly. "He always is."

They lapse into a silence until Megan arrives with Superboy and a large sphere. Wally is pacing, almost a blur in the space ship. Kaldur, now a bit more calmer, watches the group with interest, and soon has his memories returned as well.

The Atlantian groans after the memory transfer, holding a hand to his head. However, all too soon, Kid Flash is in his face.

"So what're we going to do about Robin?"

And Kaldur's beginning to wish that he could return to blissfully unconscious, but he is the team leader, and he must take responsibility. "We are in Qurac now, are we not?"

Megan glances to a hologram screen on her bio ship and nods.

"Then we shall break radio silence."

* * *

><p>| <strong>GOTHAM CITY<strong>  
>| September 4, 6:45 PM<p>

(7 hour timezone difference)

Bruce Wayne is at a meeting when his communicator vibrates. With a sheepish smile, he excuses himself for some reason or another - no one complains, thankfully. It's not a rare event for the billionaire to disappear at random, but Bruce's attendance to the recent meetings have been nothing short of spectacular compared to his usual shoddy records, so his peers do not begrudge him this one leave.

"Batman?"

"Aqualad," he replies expectantly.

"Robin's missing, and the team was wondering if he has made contact you."

Batman frowns. "No, I _ordered _radio silence. What happened?"

"We got attacked and separated by a mental attack from a man named Psimon. We have been unable to track Robin after our separation."

"He hasn't contacted you?"

"...No." Batman can practically hear the unease in Aqualad's voice, and he also struggles to keep his voice flat.

"Find him."

Bruce shuts off the communicator, then brings out his personal phone to call Alfred. He knows his actions will risk bringing back his reputation as an unreliable absentee president of Wayne Enterprises, but he's been neglecting his ward for far too long, trusting him to manage on his own with the help of his team. Clearly, this has not been enough for the boy. Bruce has no excuses left. A limo picks him up minutes later, and he makes it back to the batcave in record time.

"Master Bruce." Alfred is holding a platter with a drink: tea, still steaming with a relaxing fragrance. Bruce takes it, and as he sips, Alfred pops the question: "Has something happened to Master Richard?"

The question remains unanswered while Bruce's eyes remain transfixed to the screen that continues to flash the words "scanning" over and over again. Alfred joins him in silence.

Scanning...

Scanning...

Scanning...

Those words flickered ominously until eventually, a red "no signal" appears with a solemn air of finality, and Bruce bites back the first stirrings of anxiety. He should have figured. The Bialyan military has invested heavily the last few years in jamming technologies. They keep their secrets close, and Dick could be one of them now.

Bruce knows he has entrusted the team to handle these situations when he gave his ward permission to join the new-found team. But now that he finally has to say the words, "he's missing," Bruce can't help but want to take a jet to Bialya immediately.

* * *

><p>| <strong>BIALYA<strong>  
>| September 5, 7:03 A.M.<p>

When he wakes up, Robin is surprised to find himself in a hospital bed with an IV drip attached to his wrist. For a second, he catches himself looking for Alfred or Bruce, but he quickly realizes that no, this isn't the Batcave. It's too bright, too white, too foreign.

His hand darts to his face, and sighs in relief as he feels the comforting fabric of his mask. Dick Grayson's identity is still safe. He is still Robin.

"Batman has you trained well," he hears a voice chuckle. The aforementioned training kicks in and Robin immediately profiles the voice. Female, middle age, a light but evident foreign accent. His assumptions are proven correct when Queen Bee emerges, walking with all the confidence of a born-and-raised leader.

Robin's eyes narrow, and he immediately darts upright from the bed. Apparently, he is still in Bialya, right in the hands of the enemy with an IV full of who knows what running through his veins. The term "worst case scenario" screams in his mind.

"Why am I here?"

"Uh uhn," Queen Bee warns, pressing her palm against Robin's cheek gently. His first instinct was to pull away, but he found his body frozen. It's the second time that his body has been uncooperative since he's landed in Bialya and he still has no clue what's going on. But he won't give anyone the satisfaction of seeing him scared, so he does his best to glare at the foreign woman through his mask.

She only seems to be amused at the glare, and presses Robin back down on the bed. "You should be thankful to me _boy_, you were dying, but I was gracious enough to save you."

And that caught Robin off guard. "_What_?"

"But don't worry _Robin_," she almost purrs, leaning in even closer. "We still have uses for you."

The thick scent of the woman's perfume is overpowering, clogging his already hazy senses. Robin tries to lash out, but his hands are slow and weak. His eyes are already half closed, and as much as he tries to fight it, unconsciousness begins to drag him down again.

'_Bruce!_' He desperately calls out in his head. It's a plea and a reminder. He needs to stay awake. For Bruce, for Alfred, for the _league_. He knows too many secrets.

With one last rebellious groan, Robin manages to push off the older woman. Her face is full of shock, and he lets out a small victorious breath of release. However, it catches in his throat, transforming into a cough that has his body bending in half, and it is only then that he is reminded how much it hurts to even move a muscle let alone have his whole body shaken up by deep coughs.

"I wasn't lying when I said you were dying," Queen Bee informs him with vicious satisfaction. She has already picked herself off from the floor and seems as composed once again. "I've only been keeping you unconscious out of mercy, but I suppose with that strong will of yours, you can handle a bit of pain."

Robin can't even respond in between coughs.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** And hey look we're moving away more from canon woo. I hope I'm not the only one who was interested in Bereft when the soldiers mentioned the Queen wanted to catch Robin alive.

Anyways, I have ALL THE EXCITEMENT (YJ and Korra!) for Saturday morning cartoons tomorrow so I went ahead and revised this as well as typed up part of the next chapter. Speaking of new episodes, recently someone posted a possible spoiler in a review in another fic of mine and I just wanted to note to you guys that I would really REALLY appreciate it if you guys did not include spoilers for new episodes in your reviews. I had Usual Suspects absolutely spoiled to me and watching the episode just didn't give me the same sort of excitement afterwards. I won't spoiler you and you won't spoiler me, okay? :)

Any other non-spoilery feedback is (obviously) appreciated though :)


	4. Chapter 4

| **BIALYA**

| September 5, 4:30 PM

"I can't sense him here," Megan tells them through the link. They've been searching since the regroup in Quarac, and as each hour passes, everyone feels the growing anxiety.

The desert is completely barren, no sign of life in sight. Even the troops they saw earlier have retreated without a trace. There are no leads, no one to question, and no direction in their investigation.

"We should have looked for him earlier!" Wally snaps through the link. The restlessness and guilt that the speedster is radiating feels almost tangible through the mental link, and the other members go silent. They are equally responsible for this failure, for losing their youngest. The question of "what happened" lingers, and one bad scenario after another flashes through the mental link to Megan's mind.

Robin may be buried under sand, skin red from the hours under the raging sun. Or he may be alone, confused with a gaping six month hole in his memory, wandering the seemingly endless desert landscape, _abandoned_. Or he could even possibly be captured, caught unaware when fatigue and dehydration had him down. He's out there, waiting for Batman, but Batman isn't in Bialya. They are.

And they're failing him.

Then, they hear a frustrated growl - Superboy. The sound of his fist impacting the ground breaks the silence even further, causing tremors that manage to reach the team yards away.

"Superboy? What's wrong?" Megan is not the only one worried, because by the time she reaches Superboy, the rest of the team is already there as well, looking over in concern at their teammate who is staring at the self-made crater with an almost feral expression.

"Be _quiet_!"

In a split second, another punch follows the outraged cry and the whole team backs off immediately from the backlash of sand.

From under a layer of sand, Artemis groans. "Please don't tell me someone mind-wiped him twice in one week."

"No," Megan assures herself, flying to Superboy's side. She would have noticed, because that's something Megan will _never_ let happen to the team ever again. Still, something is wrong, and she needs to check. One touch is all the Martian needs to pick up on the frustration of a fruitless search, the irritation of an unending loud buzzing that only grows more overwhelming by the second, the sense of failure - he's failed Robin, failed as a clone, failed to - _get out of my head!_

A strong arm flings the Martian backwards, breaking the contact. Wally is by her side in an instant, but she reaches out to Superboy instead.

"Wait! Superboy, I didn't mean to-"

"Shut. Up!"

He's sick of it all: this burning heat, this pathetic search, this unbearable _failure_. The noise won't stop, and none of his teammates can hear it like he has ever since they set foot in the country. But it was only humming then, now it's practically _screeching_. They're looking at him with confusion and concern, but they don't get it. And he can't explain it, because the noise keeps breaking his train of thought until all he can think about is his annoyance and rage and _that noise_.

It needs to stop-

He needs to stop it-

_Now_.

Without a word, he's off to a sprint towards the noise, leaving the other chatting members behind. Superboy hears the cries of his name, because he can hear _everything_ and that's part of the problem - everything is being drowned under that incessant buzzing.

"...looks like we have our lead," Wally comments while pulling down his goggles in anticipation of a chase. Kaldur stops him though, gesturing at Artemis who is still trying to get the sand out of her costume.

"We must stick together," Kaldur firmly insists in a tone of voice that reminds the team exactly who is the leader of their group. Then, he looks over to Megan. The Martian still looks shaken up, but they do not have time to dwell on mistakes. They can't lose track of their teammates again.

"Call the bioship."

* * *

><p>| <strong>GOTHAM CITY<strong>

| September 5th, 9:50 AM

(7 hour timezone difference)

Bruce usually knows when Gotham shifts in uneasiness, because Gotham is _his_ city, but what's disconcerting is that he doesn't realize it earlier. For the first time in months, his surveillance system has failed to go off. Yet outside his home, he can easily hear the noisy mess of cars that is worse than just the usual morning traffic - a sure sign of a disturbance.

His suspicions grow as he tries to switch on the television for the news, only to find static.

The reality of the situation only fully hits him when he tries his Justice League communicator and finds it dead. It should be impossible for the League communicator to go off - the security of the line is even heavier than that of the Pentagon. He knows, because he helped design it.

All his morning plans are pushed aside in favor of heading to the batcave. Like so many times before, he pushes back the head of the statue that opens the way to the elevator. Except this time, nothing happens.

Bruce frowns.

"Computer override, BW1991."

"...Access Denied," replies the computer system.

This is the only hint he needs to deduce exactly who is responsible. There is only one person who could delete his own override code - one person who he _trusted_ to do so if necessary. Except he knows that this is probably not that time of necessity. This is something else entirely, and he is more worried than ever for his missing ward.

But now is not the time to dwell on his thoughts. He needs information, needs to ascertain the scale of what has happened. This is not the least of the things his ward can do. Robin has far surpassed him in the area of technology, and he is almost kicking himself about trusting the boy with so much access. Bruce curses the blindness of his own pride.

Thankfully, he is prepared in other ways. He changes with well-practiced efficiency into the spare batsuit he keeps hidden elsewhere in the manor, and he's out before Alfred could even inquire about his actions.

Gotham is in chaos.

The traffic lights have all shut down, and people are out on the streets in a riot. From just snippets of conversation, he learns that most electronic communication is down - the internet, the radio, the television, _everything_. No one knows what is going on, and conspiracy theories ranging from alien invasions to a government agenda proliferate from word of mouth.

It doesn't take much to realize how severe this is for a nation that relies so heavily on these communications. Banks, businesses, law enforcement, _hospitals_ would all be feeling the repercussions. And to be honest, Batman has no plans for this. He's cut off from his resources and from outside help. All he can do is keep watch, trying to keep some semi-balance of order. He has to trust in the team, trust in his _partner_, to stop this. It's a job for a covert team, not for Batman who still has a city to monitor, and definitely not for Bruce Wayne who will inevitably be put into the spotlight for this incident considering the fact that he owns half of the now malfunctioning communication lines in Gotham.

However, unbeknownst to the Dark Knight, Sportsmaster smugly slips out of STAR Labs with a suitcase in hand. The job is almost pitifully easily - the alarms are dead, and the building is as empty as a ghost town with its employees caught up in the traffic jam. He doesn't mind, though. What matters most is that the Light is one step closer to their goals, and the heros are far too late to stop them this time.

* * *

><p>| <strong>BIALYA<strong>

| September 5th, 5:20 PM

The team grows even more and more concerned as Superboy leads them out of the empty desert and towards much more dangerous territory: the capital.

"Remind me again why we aren't stopping our rampaging teammate from running straight into enemy territory?" Artemis stares at the image of Superboy just yards away, and although she knows that she probably can't stop him, she also knows that running straight into enemy territory ranked high on the common-sense list of "things not to let your teammates do."

"For once, I think I agree with you," adds Wally, but he is too consumed in his own thoughts to notice his teammate's look of surprise. He stands up, slamming his palms on the bioship and attracting everyone's attention. "I figured it out though - where Supes is going that is. Miss M, you mentioned Superboy was hearing some sort of noise, right?"

"Yes...for a while now apparently."

"And Kaldur, have you tried contacting Batman?"

The Atlantean looks puzzled at the question, but answers nonetheless. "Yes, in Quarac."

"Can you try again now?"

Kaldur complies, and the bioship is eerily quiet with only the sound of the static from the communicator filling the hull. Finally, he states the obvious. "It's...not working."

"_Exactly_," Wally says triumphantly. "It's not working, because it's being _jammed._ And do you guys know how hard it is to jam the Justice League line? Most non-leaguers don't even know how it works because it incorporates alien technology. Only someone from the league could be doing this, or one other person."

The rest of the team comes to the conclusion immediately. "...Robin?"

Quietly, Artemis adds, "but why would he do that?"

"He wouldn't."

Everyone is silent because the implications of the statement are obvious, and this only fuels Wally's momentum further. "You know what else Robin can do? He has access to the Batcomputer, the Justice League's supercomputer, and he can hack into practically anything else just as easily. It's_ Justice League_ technology! You know, ten times more advanced than anything on earth?"

Wally's arms are raised in exasperation since all he is met with are blank stares. No one gets it, and he's not sure explaining will do much good for the Martian and the Atlantean who are even more unfamiliar with technology than the already-lost Artemis. They just cannot comprehend the power of the supercomputer that lies at the heart of the Justice League's watchtower.

They've seen the ease at which Robin slips in and out of it, coaxing it to do his bidding, but it's only been small tasks. They don't realize how easily the same computer can bring down a country's entire network.

"Okay, we get it," Artemis finally speaks up although her face still does not look too sure, "but what does that tell us about where he is? Or where Superboy is going?"

"Robin wouldn't be doing this willingly - someone's making him. Since Psimon is out of the picture, there's only one person in Bialya who could possibly pull it off, and we know exactly where to find her."

"_Hello_, Megan," the Martian says, although her tone is much less cheerful than normal. "Queen Bee!"

"Right. And she's probably close to Robin, who's probably close to their technology center which Supes is likely bent on destroying now and blowing our cover if we don't stop him."

"No," answers Kaldur, much to Wally's surprise. They are far too close to the capital now, and as a military-trained soldier, he knows it is more than likely that Superboy has already been spotted. Any attempts at stopping him would only get them all discovered. It is his mistake for not stopping it earlier. Everyone is a little off their game today, but the mistake isn't a total failure. They can use it to their advantage. "What we need is...a distraction."

* * *

><p>AN: Thanks to **I. Love. Dick. Grayson** for doing a quick read for me (completely off the fly too, thanks for responding to my random tumblr flailing!) to make sure this chapter made sense. I have no clue what I'm writing sometimes, especially when it goes into technology. But I've always wanted a plot like this, where Robin is wanted not for his physical skills (because there are so many better candidates), but rather for all the information, secrets, etc he has access to since he's the ward of the goddamn Batman. That's something no other sidekick has.

...Oops this fic is growing obnoxiously long and slightly skirting off OP's prompt. It always happens when I try to do a long fill. But I promise this all ties together!

Now I'm going to return to having seizures while waiting in anticipation for the new episode and somehow stu_**dying**_ for finals. Nevertheless, my slowly dying soul will always appreciate any and all feedback :)


	5. Chapter 5

| **BIALYA**

| September 5th, 6:20 PM

Their plans have finally come to fruition. From the central control room, a room humming with machinery and half a dozen state-of-the-art hologram monitors that have been spared no expense, Bialya has launched the largest virtual attack ever witnessed. And the attack has succeeded in a remarkably smooth fashion, all thanks to the unwilling efforts of one teenage boy.

It's beautifully ironic how one of the most vulnerable, the most _human_, of all the heroes also has proven to be the most useful and the most dangerous. In the few channels of communication that they have failed to block, there are already panicked exchanges about the entire United States going off the grid. No one has ever imagined such an attack, and that is precisely why it is so devastating.

Queen Bee strokes her captive's dark hair in a gentle and almost affectionate manner, because a queen takes good care of her subjects, and the boy has easily proven to be one of her more useful pawns. Even though the words on the monitors make little to no sense to her, she admires the level of skill in which the boy glides his fingers across the keyboard, swiftly tapping hundreds of keystrokes every minute with precision and purpose.

Perhaps "_boy wonder_" is a fitting name for this foreigner after all.

There is no trace of the usual bright joy and excitement that graces the boy's face in the countless pictures they keep on file, but the Bialyan ruler finds a unique charm in his dazed expression that she has seen on countless others who have fallen under her thrall. The feature she loves most are the eyes, and she is almost tempted to peel off that domino mask despite her agreement with Ra's al Ghul. It's a troublesome arrangement, because eyes are the best way to judge the effectiveness of her technique. Sometimes they are completely full of devotion and adoration to an almost sickening degree - a sure sign of a weak will, but she suspects that the boy's eyes are more likely to be misty and distant, or perhaps they even hold a rare spark of rebellion.

Regardless, she is confident that he cannot break her hold in his current state as long as she she maintains close proximity where her powers work best. Queen Bee leans in, hands curling around muscled shoulders, and whispers, "You're doing well, little bird."

As expected, Robin does not respond, but his body instinctively gravitates towards the touch.

Internally, Dick's mind is in a state of panic, fighting to stay coherent and regain some control from the oppressive force that is ruthlessly directing his thoughts towards schemes he has never dared to imagine before. Queen Bee's words are chilling. He _doesn't_ want to do well. Dick doesn't want to know that he has helped the enemy, that he has violated Batman's trust, that he is most likely responsible for thousands of deaths caused by the chaos he has wrought through his disobedient fingers.

And it's frightening just how _easily_ it comes to him and excites his nerves. Every time he breaks through a security hurdle, there is an almost addicting rush of excitement, because this is the ultimate proof of his skill that sets him apart, that makes him _worthy_.

Then, the crashing weight of what he has done completely squashes the elation and briefly, his mind is clear enough to wonder how many waiting patients would pass away without anyone knowing, how many families would die from the malfunctioning traffic lights, how many children would be left parentless tonight, and _oh god what am I doing_?

These thoughts are quickly run over by the next command, only leaving behind a nauseating sense of horror and self-disgust. It's a losing fight, and eventually, Dick decides if he is going to be forced to cooperate, as much as that sickens him, he's going to take advantage of cooperating.

He wills himself to take a greater interest in his actions. His mind clings to every name, every statistic, every piece of data and loose puzzle piece that comes across his path, because they are the only way that he can salvage this complete train wreck of a situation. Two words repeatedly spring up during his reconnaissance, undeniably significant and with implications that remain tauntingly elusive: The Light.

He doesn't ponder on it long though, because his attention is quickly pulled towards the new alert on the main screen. With a nod from Queen Bee, he gestures for several new holograms to enlarge. The largest is of the Bialyan military general who appears worried, talking quickly in an unfamiliar language, but he is more interested in the other video footage of a young boy who looks eerily similar to Superman. Two others flank the look-a-like: a girl clad in green and darker boy with tell tale signs of Atlantean heritage.

They're not the Justice League, he's not sure who they are, but they are doing an excellent job of destroying rows of signal amplifiers. Queen Bee is noticeably displeased, barking orders back to the general. Meanwhile, he brings up the security monitoring system for her. There are two new dots, quickly approaching the central command room, but more importantly, he notices the date for the first time since he woke up in the desert. It reads _September _6th.

What happened to _March_?

The queen finally takes notice of the coming intruders, but it's too late. Metal doors fly open, pushed inwards to the point of denting by an invisible force.

"Robin!"

* * *

><p>| <strong>BIALYA<strong>

| September 5th, 6:30 PM

"I can't believe we're doing this," Artemis says in between firing shots and avoiding the returning volley of bullets.

"I admit that this is particularly reckless." With one flick of his water bearers, Kaldur knocks away a stray bullet meant for his teammate's back. They try to cover each other as much as possible, because the guards have quickly learned that although Superboy is invulnerable to bullets, the two other heroes are not. Meanwhile, they have to fend off guards and try to keep them away from the frenzied clone who doesn't even acknowledge them.

"Reckless? Try _absolutely insane._"

The soldiers are closing in now, forming a circle around the two while Superboy is still distracted ripping apart yet another piece of machinery. Artemis and Kaldur exchange a weary glance.

"We have no other choice," Kaldur says, and the conversation cuts off there because they both notice the slight of fingers that indicates a gunshot.

The first shot barely misses Artemis.

They're cornered and big easy targets, something that needed to be fixed immediately. The moment finally comes when countless hours of practice transforms into smooth cohesive action: Kaldur calls out for maneuver seven, holding out his clasped arms as a foothold for Artemis who vaults off them without hesitation to launch herself in the air. She barely has time for two shots, made in straight succession, that hit true to their targets. One knocks off the offending gun about to shoot at her teammate, the other lands itself right beside her landing point.

She counts down three beeps while fending off enemy fire with her bow, and on the third beep, smoke explodes out from the arrow.

Before it engulfs them, the two teammates share a quick look at each other once more to confirm that yes, they are somehow still alive.

'_Move_,' Kaldur orders with just a nod. Artemis returns it and backs away slightly to allow Kaldur to push a hole through the circle of enemies with his waterbearers. Taking a leaf from Robin's book, they disappear into the smoke.

Except they are not Robin, and these are highly trained soldiers that manage to land a shot that nicks Artemis's waist.

"Ugh, _of course_ they manage to hit us when they aren't even supposed to see us," complains the archer who clutches the wound with a wince.

"They will if we do not continue to _keep quiet._"

"That _was_ quiet," Artemis grumbles but shuts up anyways and puts all her faith into dumb luck to pull her through the next round of shots.

* * *

><p>| <strong>BIALYA<strong>

| September 5th, 6:40 PM

Dick is _alive. _It should have been obvious - who else would have managed to do what Dick has done? - but it is still a relief to actually _see_ him. However, Wally also sees Queen Bee, firmly gripping Robin's shoulder in a possessive manner, and the speedster has no doubt that she is the one responsible for all of this. He hates her more than he's ever hated anyone, because he can only _guess_ how much guilt Dick is struggling with under that unnatural mask of apathy.

Before Queen Bee can even react, Wally dashes up to his friend and easily grabs the boy away in bridal style. Robin is noticeably lighter than he remembers. Easier on his arms, but not easier on his conscious - how did he not notice his friend losing weight until now?

"Ugh...KF?" It takes Robin a second to process what has happened. He _was _trapped in his mind, standing right next to Queen Bee, but now the foreign mental presence is quickly dissipating as Wally carries him away. Then his thoughts backtrack.

Why would Kid Flash be in Bialya?

"What's going on?" Robin asks, because he's tired of not knowing, of being tossed around from situation to situation with no information whatsoever.

He's _six months_ behind, and he desperately wants to get back up to date.

Unfortunately, his friend only gives him an apologetic look and a short answer - "Rescuing you, long story."

Robin is about to scoff at the response when the pain flares up all at once, leaving him short of air mid-breath. His body feels ten times heavier and he wonders how he ever could even move a muscle let alone work several hours on bringing down an entire nation's communication system. The answer is obvious - Queen Bee - but his world is spinning again and he groans because _come on_ can't the world do something more creative to make him nauseous? This is almost becoming a daily routine.

They slow down when Wally rounds back around the large control room to what remains of the door frame where M'gann awaits in stealth mode. As an slight empath, it's hard _not_ to notice the pain that is already obvious from the boy's clammy skin to the way that Robin clings to the fabric of Kid Flash's costume like a drowning man.

Regardless, Robin still manages to pull Kid Flash closer and whisper, "the computers - we need to destroy them."

"No problem," Kid Flash responds, handing over Robin to M'gann just as the sound of armored boots closes in on them from the halls. Queen Bee has already called in reinforcements.

"_Hurry_," hisses Robin, but Kid Flash is already off. This finally gives Robin a moment to take in the sight of the martian holding him. From her costume, it's obvious she's related to Martian Manhunter, and he presumes she's an ally. That doesn't make his situation any better, because now he's _still_ being a burden to everyone. He should have been able to get out of this situation alone, or better yet, he should not have even been caught in it in the first place.

"I can walk myself," Robin informs as he struggles out of her arms, but his first wobbly steps do not convince the Martian at the least.

"Can you? I'm sure you're _very_ tired now, little bird."

The two trace the voice to Queen Bee, who looks surprisingly calm in light of the invasion of super-powered teenagers into her home territory. M'gann quickly notices the mental suggestion at work, and Robin is feeling it because he starts to gravitate towards M'gann's arms, eyes drooped and hazed. She readjusts her grip on him and frowns, eyes glowing green.

"Stay _out_ of his mind!"

The monarch grunts, visibly pushed backwards by the opposing mental resistance. At the same time, several explosions go off, setting fire to the room and finishes the job by knocking Queen Bee to her knees.

Wally is back by his teammates' side with a hand on Robin's shoulder, ignoring the mess he has left behind and instead focusing on the deteriorating state of his best friend. He gives Robin's shoulder a small shake. "Hey Rob," the speedster attempts a playful tone, "I borrowed a few of your batarangs. Hope you don't mind."

There is no response at first, until-

"..._Again, _KF?" Robin finally replies in a low and mockingly irritated voice that sounds slightly out of breath, but there's a tease of a smile on his lips, "Well, I _might_ forgive you...if you tell me _what is going_ on already. I'm missing _six months_ of memory!"

The two older teenagers can't help but smile regardless of the frustration they sense. It occurs to them, once again, that their teammate is _alive_.

"Don't worry Robin, I can fix that."

"Looks like that'll have to wait, babe. We have _company_." Kid Flash grabs Robin before the younger boy can even formulate a complaint and whisks him away from the incoming gunfire. There's probably at least a squadron of soldiers lining the halls, but it would be okay, because he has Dick in his arms and he absolutely cannot, _would not_, let his friend get hurt on his watch.

* * *

><p>| <strong>BIALYA<strong>

| September 5th, 6:50 PM

"_Aqualad, Artemis, we have Robin_," M'gann tells her teammates over their telepathic link.

"_And Superboy's done a pretty good job destroying the area here,_" replies Artemis, keeping a remarkably even albeit sarcastic tone considering that she is still in the middle of a battlefield. Ducking behind a piece of torn metal, she returns a shot with her remaining supply of arrows.

"..._Is he alright_?"

"_We will handle our situation at hand_," Kaldur interrupts, "_you must handle your own._"

"_Right! Sorry, I was just.."_ M'gann's blush is almost tangible through the link,_ "anyways, we're headed towards the bio ship, we should get there in twenty minutes._"

The mental link goes quiet, but the sounds of gunshots do not.

"Superboy!" Artemis calls out, moving out of safety in order to get a good shot at the hunk of metal that Superboy was currently beating up. Her arrow landed right next to Superboy's fist, finally drawing the boy's attention. Artemis throws down her bow, which isn't a good move in hindsight, but she doesn't have a tacky hat on hand and she's desperate to make the fact that she's tired and even a bit angry clear. The wound on her waist has not stopped bleeding, and an annoyed scowl threatens to remain permanently implanted on her face. "Look, we got Robin, so are you finished with your whole anger management thing yet? Because we kinda need to leave, like _now_."

Superboy pauses to look at the mess of scrap metal around him. Then, he kicks the metal in front of him once more for good measure. "Guess I am."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** This was originally like 6k words but I'm not sure if anyone would want to read a 6k word chapter so I cut it. Next update will hopefully be quicker.

The second season is starting to catch my interest again, although my YJ inspiration is still going on the decline and I miss the season 1 team so so much. I am just really sentimental and get way too attached to things. I still love the new team, but the old team is too firmly lodged into my heart. It's just killing me that the old team has been broken up...it's inevitable for all teams I suppose, but at least they're all alive? ;v;

Btw, does anyone know where I can stream episode 5 of season 2? I missed watching it Saturday and I need to watch it before I get spoiler'ed to death. Preferably HQ, but I'm pretty desperate for anything right now.


	6. Chapter 6

| **BIOSHIP**  
>| September 5th, 7:50 PM (Bialyan Time)<p>

Their escape goes suspiciously well after they destroy the first few enemy aircraft drones. When not even Superboy could hear the sound of another aircraft in pursuit, Robin runs a final radar scan of his own on his wrist watch. It takes ten seconds for the radar to come up with a clean sweep, empty of any red dot indicating enemy presence within miles.

"We're clear," he says, but there is an uncertain scowl on his face. This has been far too easy; Bialya has more resources to spare than just a few fighter droids and there's no reason not to use them. The team has just destroyed millions of dollars in technology and left with some of Queen Bee's more guarded secrets stored away in Robin's mind. That's something that would normally enrage a villain enough to pull out all the stops. It _couldn't_ be this easy.

"We are fortunate...for today."

The oddity of the situation is apparent, but for now, he does not look the gift horse in the mouth. They are safe and together; that is the most important conclusion. Kaldur's attention turns to Robin who has a hand pressed to his own forehead, lips pursed tightly to keep back a groan. Racing paranoid thoughts attracted headaches, who knew?

"Robin-"

"I'm _fine," _the boy insists, ignoring Wally's look of disapproval, and turns to M'gann. "You said you can fix my memories?"

"Yes, if you'll let me into your mind." She glances at Artemis, and quickly adds, "I'll be in and out before you know it. Last six months only."

Robin nods his approval even with lingering apprehension in his eyes. The bioship is put on autopilot while M'gann approaches Robin, cupping his head with both her hands and pressing close, forehead to forehead. Robin closes his eyes, and M'gann's glow green.

_A jolt of familiar memories is all Robin needs for the memory gaps to fill in. In their shared mindscape, she brings up the most poignant ones - their first encounter at Mount Justice, Batman's mission briefing for the mission, their initial failed attempt at reconnaissance on Psimon - and the rest comes rushing back by Robin's own mind. M'gann begins to pull out, not wanting to invade her friend's privacy, but one scene sucks her in through the sheer amount of pain it radiates, morphing the mindscape into a dark alley that she can only guess as part of Gotham City._

_Robin is hunched over near a wall, trembling, and briefly, M'gann is worried that Gotham's villains will finish their assault on the injured boy._

_But the alley is empty. No villains are anywhere in sight._

_Confused, M'gann turns back to the panting boy wonder. He is clutching his stomach, sweat trailing down his forehead as a mantra repeats on his lips - "I'm okay, it'll pass. It's all mind over body, like Batman always said. I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm okay."_

_He pauses when the communicator in his ear buzzes to life. Batman. There's fear and weariness radiating from Robin to the point of being second-handedly distressing to M'gann, but somehow, Robin answers with a steady voice, "Batman? East Gotham's all clear."_

_"There's activity in West Gotham, return to meeting point six."_

_"Got it, ETA is five minutes."_

_When the communicator clicks off, he continues his mantra again, even as he stumbles out of the alley towards Batman's location: "I'm okay, I'm okay, **I'm okay**," but it's clear that he isn't._

M'gann pulls out of his head before she intrudes even further, and returns to the sight of Robin collapsed in her arms.

"See!" Wally bursts out, unable to hold it in any longer. "Something is wrong with Robin!"

"Chill it, Baywatch," Aretmis says, but she does not look any less concerned than the speedster she is holding back. "He's probably just tired. It's been a long mission."

A single thought from the Martian transforms Robin's seat into a makeshift bed, and two black straps loosely hold the unconscious boy in place when she deposits him into it. "Artemis is right," she tries to reason, although the image of Robin curled over in a ball of misery lingers in her mind. "He's had too much mental stress, with Psimon and Queen Bee and now this."

"He doesn't...sound right." Superboy is out of his seat, tilting his head to lean towards Robin. "His heart rate...it's..._different_."

"A bad different?" Artemis asks, confused.

"I...don't know."

Kaldur is as unsure of the situation as Artemis and Superboy, but what he does know is that it is not a matter that can be ignored. Even if Robin looks deceivingly peaceful if not exhausted on his make-shift bed.

"We will address our concerns to Batman when we arrive at Mount Justice. For now, we should allow Robin his rest."

* * *

><p>| <strong>GOTHAM NEWS NETWORK<strong>  
>| September 6th, 9:00 A.M.<p>

"Goood evening Gotham City, this is Vicki Vale reporting at you live from GNN headquarters. We're back on air after over twenty-four hours of a mysterious communications the source of the attack has yet to be confirmed, but authorities claim that they are already taking steps to prevent such an attack from happening again.

"Earlier this morning, Wayne Enterprises, the leading network provider for Gotham City, has issued a press statement assuring that this is not an isolated incident within their network. The whole country has felt the effects of the crash from Washington to even the famed Justice League. The Wayne Electronics division, like many other companies, have reaffirmed their dedication to increasing encryption measures for their services. Lex Corp has been the quickest of the contenders to jump on this, claiming to have already had such an update in the making for months.

"However, neither Lucius Fox, the CEO of Wayne Enterprises, nor the famed president, Bruce Wayne, has been available for comment on these new developments..."

* * *

><p>| <strong>MOUNT JUSTICE<strong>  
>| September 6th, 9:10 AM<p>

Robin wakes to the sounds of murmuring voices hovering over him, and he hones onto the familiar deep sound of Bruce's voice. It keeps him from darting up immediately, because Bruce has always been associated with safety...or as much "safety" as a superhero life allows. The moment reprieve clears his mind enough to allow the situation to seep in - Bialya, the mission, Queen Bee, _The Light_.

His eyes snap open.

"Batman," he calls out, snapping to an upright position and almost immediately regretting the rush of blood that leaves him dizzy. "I...I need to talk to Batman."

His guardian is by his side in an instant, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Robin. What you need to do is rest. You've-"

"No, this is important! There's going to be a break-out in Belle Reve, the ice villains, the _connection_! It all makes sense now!"

Robin's eyes clear enough to notice that several of the Justice League members and his team are staring at him like he's grown an extra head. Wally presses especially close, almost in his face to the point that he can see the freckles on the redhead's questioning face.

"Dude, what are you talking about? Are you-"

"Kid Flash," Batman warns with a glare, causing the speedster to step back from his friend. The league similarly backs off, more out of respect for Robin's weary watch and Batman's protective stance over his ward than intimidation. His attention returns to Robin. "How did you find this information?"

"In Bialya, when Queen Bee was controlling me, she also gave me a look into all her files and it finally makes sense. Mr. Freeze is going to petition to be declared legally sane in a few days, landing himself in Belle Reve with the other ice villains. That's when it'll start: the biggest prison break-out ever."

"But I thought Icicle Jr. was sent to the juvenile detention center, not Belle Reve," Superman interrupts, listening in on the conversation from afar with little difficulty.

"No, Camer..err...I mean Icicle Jr. petitioned to be tried as an adult in court, he's being transferred to Belle Reve in a week."

Artemis becomes the new subject of everyone's stares, and immediately mentally curses her outburst. Almost referring to a villain by first name? Not suspicious at all. There are a few raised brows, but she does not know if it's from her information or from the slip-up.

"We keep track of our own villains," Green Arrow explains, and the staring eases, only to be redirected to Robin when the boy groans out in pain.

Everything became too much too fast. The sharp pangs around his abdomen returned at full force, but when he reflexively clutches the area in defense against the unknown attacker, his world begins to distort and every sense is fuzzed over in an obfuscating haze. He tries to find Batman, the one figure who has always been an anchor to him ever since that day four years ago. The black isn't hard to spot, and he reaches out, feeling cool fabric in his hand - a brief comfort that is quickly overridden by more pain pain _pain_.

"What's...what's _wrong_ with me?" He manages to groan out before fainting once again. And this time, Wally is not the only one to panic.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Sorry this took so long. I'm actually working on my DC Big Bang project (basically a challenge to write a 10k+ word fic which will probably be YJ related) and another pet project of mine, a YJ-HP crossover (you can find snippets of it on my tumblr), so my writing's been lagging a bit. Thank you all for the lovely feedback (and episode links) and reminding me to get back to writing this even though it is only a small-ish update.

Happy belated birthday to that one anonymous reviewer who mentioned that his/her birthday is this week! Also hiatuses make me sad and lol wtf is going on with this website and all the changes?


	7. Chapter 7

**| MOUNT JUSTICE**

| September 6th, 10:15 AM

The cowl is off, as is Robin's mask. Right now, they are just Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne, two painfully vulnerable _humans_. The array of machinery hooked up to the younger boy's body is a blindingly obvious reminder of that fact.

Bruce is not a man of many words, and the med bay remains silent. Instead, he gently touches Dick's hand, so small within his own. From just a glance, Bruce can tell that Dick has lost an unhealthy amount of body weight.

How could he have let this spiral so far?

_From the moment Dick collapsed in front of the League, Bruce feels it: an ominous break in the normalcy of their lives, or as much normalcy as one can get while running around as a masked vigilante._

_Chaos erupts in the league room, too many people moving at once in too much of an uncoordinated fashion._

_Robin's team rushes to his side in an instant. They are good kids, but completely unhelpful, blocking off Robin from the attention he actually needs. Ultimately Bruce is the one who takes charge, ordering Hal to help transport Robin to the med bay where the most basic treatment and tests can be conducted quickly before a transfer to a more appropriate facility. In few hours, the full League will reconvene to plan their next move after taking into account the recent crisis in the states and the new information of the potential jailbreak, but until then, everyone is ordered to cool their heads._

_There is nothing worse than making decisions fueled only by emotions, and no one in the league could claim to be emotionally uninvolved. Out of all the sidekicks, Robin has known them the longest, and as heroes, they can't help but care when even a normal boy collapses in front of them let alone one they have known for years._

_He orders Robin's team out first; they had done their part and needed rest more than anything else. One by one, the rest of the League members who were present also dispersed to manage their own affairs and even the more concerned ones eventually left to give Batman some space._

_"Batman is really amazing," M'gann says. "I can't believe he's so calm."_

_Superman, their supervisor for the day, overhears the gossip. "No," he interrupts, "I'm willing to bet he's the most unsettled out of any of us, he just has a different way of showing it."_

And really, it's infuriating when _Clark_, as dense as the Kryptonian was at times,notices his distraction.

"Batman," Martian Manhunter's voice comes through clearly from his communicator.

"Are the results of the new tests in yet?" He asks, not looking away from Dick's sleeping face.

"No, but I have found something of interest."

"What is it?"

"It is as Robin predicted. Victor Fries has petitioned to be considered legally sane and removed from Arkham Asylum in favor of Belle Reve. The court trial is set to take place on September 9th."

And already, the world continues to turn madly on, refusing to give Bruce any pause. Not for his parents, not for this, not for anything. He's found early on thatthat is how reality worked, and the only thing he can do is keep as much of a steady grip on the situation as he can.

He finally lets go of that small hand in favor of grabbing his cowl once more. "Call the league to reconvene," he orders.

* * *

><p>"When is Batman going to let us see him?" Wally complains, glaring at his half eaten chocolate bar, a peace offering from his uncle. The waiting room in front of the med bay is chilled like an icebox in comparison to the desert they just escaped and the chairs are uncomfortable, but the speedster stubbornly slouches on his chair, trying to find a more comfortable position.<p>

"Not anytime today, I bet," Barry tells him with an exasperated sigh. And then in a quieter tone, "Wally, you should go home, your parents haven't seen you in days. They're probably worried by now."

Artemis is already gone, having taken the same suggestion just a few minutes earlier. He's tempted to do the same, so very tempted to just eat away his worries and crash on a real bed for the first time since the mission, but he's been such a horrible friend, not noticing how bad the situation really was, not saying enough, not _doing_ enough.

"I'll call them," Wally compromises.

The doors of the med bay open just as Wally whips out his cellphone, and Batman walks out, face blank. "Flash, watchtower, _now_," is all he says.

He pays no attention to the rest of the waiting team, but Wally refuses to leave it like that. He rushes to intercept Batman, blocking his path. "What's the deal? Is Robin okay?"

Batman stops, narrowing his eyes at Wally's obstinacy, but he doesn't begrudge the team the news. Nor does he pad his words. "We don't know," he starts. It's an unpromising diagnosis. "What we do know is that his liver function has sharply decreased and his body is having severe chemical abnormalities. He'll need to be transported to a better medical facility for further diagnosis, but with the latest incident, the hospitals have been in a disarray."

"But can't you do something about it? Aren't you freaking Br–"

Batman glares.

"…Batman," Wally corrects himself.

"I've made arrangements," Batman says in a clipped tone, and begins to walk away again. "Get some rest, you won't be useful to anyone if you're tired. And that's an _order_, Kid Flash."

"At least take a shower, kiddo, you reek," Barry adds, briefly patting Wally on the shoulder before chasing after his colleague.

* * *

><p><strong>| GALAXY BROADCASTING SYSTEM<strong>

| September 6th, 11:45 AM

"This absolutely was not the work of any _ordinary_ terrorist," Gordon emphasizes his point by placing both hands on the desk and elevating his stature. "Never has such an attack been made, and for good reason! It's impossible! Cutting off all forms of communication? The Internet, the satellite radios, and even private lines? Absolutely impossible, _with human technology_."

"So what actually are you suggesting, Mr. Godfrey?" The anchor asks.

"Isn't it _obvious_?" Godfred makes a vague gesture to the ceiling. "The answer is right in front of our eyes, or above us, to be technical. It's the _Justice League_."

"The Justice League?"

"_Of course_. Who else has the technology, the resources, to pull off such a stunt? And they're right there! Amongst all our satellites and communication lines, poised perfectly to attack! And we're just _letting them_."

"But Mr. Godfrey, the Justice League has long been a symbol of…well, _justice_. What would be their motive for such a thing?"

"I don't claim to know everything," he replies haughtily, "but perhaps the '_Justice League_' may not be as friendly as the claim to be. Where's the transparency? Hiding up there in their little watchtower with their little _secrets_. When are they going to explain what they've been doing during this little crisis? Hmmm? How long are we going to accept _no comment _as an answer?"

He stares into the camera, a slightly wild look in his eyes. "Oh I know what you're thinking, good ol' G. Gordon's lost it, how could anyone hate Superman? He's a hero! But ladies and gentlemen, let's not forget, Superman isn't a human! He's a _kryptonian_! Martian Manhunter? Even his name makes it obvious! Not everyone in this hero party is a human. Some are mutants, outcasts! Just whom are they heroes for? How do we know we can trust _them_ with the best interests of us _normal_ humans?

"Open your eyes! Don't be blinded by their so called 'heroism.' Consider it, _before it's too late."_

* * *

><p><strong>| WATCHTOWER<strong>

| September 6th, 11:45 AM

"This is absurd," Clark says, shutting off the news broadcast.

"Iris always did say Gordon was missing a few screws," Barry comments half jokingly, half grim. The thought of being considered an enemy of the people he protects is something he does not want to entertain.

"His fear is not completely unfounded," J'onn reasons. "The watchtower did indeed play a role in the crisis."

"…wait, we did?" Captain Marvel jolts from his seat, a look of surprise on his face.

"Yes," the Martian says, then turns to his cowled companion. "Batman, I think it's time you fully explain the situation to everyone."

Batman nods, typing a few buttons on a hologram to bring up a map of Bialya. "A few weeks ago, we began to detect an anomaly in the Bialyan desert: Zeta-beam radiation from non-League sources. From what the team reports, Queen Bee appears to be in contact with a highly advanced weapons dealer in possession of Zeta technology. Their latest exchange," a few more keystrokes, and a hologram replica of Superboy's new sphere appeared, "was this. We have managed to apprehend it, but the source of the design and technology does not appear to be human."

"That's interesting and all," Hal comments, "but what does this have to do with a mass communications shut down in the United States?"

The hologram picture changed again, this time to a picture of Robin in the med bay. "Sometime during the mission, the team was separated and Queen Bee managed to gain possession of Robin, taking control of him long enough to force him to hack into several networks, including ours, and start the crisis with the help of Bialya's technology."

"Batman, are you telling us that a _thirteen-year-old boy_ shut down the entire US Communications network?" Zatara asks, appalled. "Why would you even teach him to do this?"

"I didn't," Batman replies dryly. "He figured it out with his own skills."

A frightening silence follows afterwards.

* * *

><p><strong>| MOUNT JUSTICE<strong>

| September 6, 12:00 PM

"It doesn't look like Red Tornado will let us in the med bay anytime soon," M'gann comments as she glances back at the doors. They are still closed, and Red Tornado has not moved an inch from his original location since he has swapped positions with Superman as their supervisor.

"Can you contact him mentally?" Wally asks.

M'gann shakes her head. "He's still asleep."

Wally sighs, running a hand through his hair. Waiting, he realizes, is an almost painfully boring activity. He has, in fact, taken a shower, and with M'gann's coaxing, his new waiting location is on a warm couch in their break room rather than the freezer of a waiting room. The television, however, provides no entertainment. News programs are all that appear to be on, chattering away at wild theories Wally has no interest in. He already knows the truth.

Superboy takes the remote, changing the channel to one with no signal. For once, Wally does not complain.

M'gann observes her teammates, looking between the blank screen and the disgruntled faces of the two boys. Aqualad is there too, in his own separate couch seat, looking equally solemn. "I'm going to make some cookies," she declares, attempting to clear out some of the gloomy atmosphere of the room.

No one responds. Not even Wally bites at the conversation of food. M'gann sighs, and retreats into the kitchen

* * *

><p><strong>| WATCHTOWER<strong>

| September 6th, 12:10 PM

The meeting manages to move on from the issue of Robin's involvement with the crime to other matters of security. The atmosphere becomes tense, and the way some league members occasionally glance nervously at the image of the video monitor of the bedridden sidekick does not escape Batman's attention. Of course, no one holds the boy at fault for his actions, but the crime has still been committed, and it will linger in Robin's record permanently.

Eventually, the meeting begins to draw to a close.

"What will we tell the press?" Green Arrow finally asks the question on everyone's mind.

"If we tell them, I doubt it'll be an easy story to believe," Black Canary responds. "And Robin will be put under the spotlight, which with his condition...Batman, what exactly is his condition?"

"I don't know for sure," Batman repeats for the second time that day. Already, he is growing tired of that phrase. "It's not something that can be diagnosed with just the basic medical tests, I need more time. But as it is…"

"He's dying," J'onn finishes.

* * *

><p><strong>| METROPOLIS<strong>

| September 6th, 1:00 PM

Lex hadn't expected his colleague's half-baked plan to work so well, but he supposes once in a while, villains could get lucky too. Unfortunately, the airports are still a mess from the accident, but occasions like these are precisely why he owns a private jet. Money is the ultimate convenience.

"We're ready to leave, sir," Mercy informs him.

He hums in acknowledgment, closing his suitcase with a satisfying click. Lexcorp stocks have been steadily increasing ever since his quick reaction to the security issue, yet another unexpected windfall for their plans. And from here, their web can only grow while the heroes fumble to regroup both internally and externally. He writes a mental note to himself to sponsor Godfrey more in the future. If nothing else, that man has zeal.

He adjusts his tie, the final touch to perfect his immaculate appearance. "Now then, let's see if our friends from Rhelasia can't be brought to see the _light_."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Just a small detail, Galaxy Broadcasting System (GBS) is one of the biggest news stations in the YJ universe. I was going to make up an OC but then Gordon Godfred appeared in season 2 and he was perfect for the role so I plugged him in here. Wally's aunt also works as a news anchor for it, if you guys squint in the episode for cameos :)

As some of you have noticed, I've sorta been drifting from the Young Justice fandom since all the breaks started again. Nonetheless, it's Dick Grayson's birthday in the YJ-verse (…even if he's kinda out of action in this chapter) and one of my friends requested an update as an early Christmas present so I somehow got the willpower to start writing this fic again. Sorry for the delay!

…is anyone still out there?


End file.
